


The Deal

by MsRenai21, Saphruikan



Series: Innocence [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Blackmail, F/M, Original Character(s), Roth and Hibbie make their debut, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 07:26:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11203230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsRenai21/pseuds/MsRenai21, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saphruikan/pseuds/Saphruikan
Summary: Trying to keep her siblings safe, Plumeria goes to confront the boss of Team Skull on how things should be run — and comes out as Admin.





	The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place 5 years prior to the events of Sun/Moon. Guzma and Plumeria are 20 years old.

No matter what time or what day it is, it always seems like there’s something crazy going on at the Shady House. Plumeria learned this very quickly since joining Team Skull and moving into the mansion just a few weeks ago; there is always some party or loud game night or cringeworthy rap battles taking place at all hours each day. Despite the chaos, it was easy for her to get used to her new life.  
   
Even now, as a few female grunts chat loudly about their day next to Plumeria, she almost feels right at home. Almost, of course. The voices help keep her mind at ease, but what she wants most of all is to be listening to her little siblings’ voices as they drone on and on about something cool they saw or about a Pokémon they liked. With a sad sigh, she returns her attention to her phone, tapping on the icon for Chatoter, and scrolls through mindlessly, occasionally liking some of her new friends’ cheeps. _Remember, Plumeria, you joined this gang to get them enough money to get out of that home. You have to carry the burden if you want them to be happy._  
   
Her thoughts are interrupted as a male grunt rushes in and hangs in front of the doorway, tugging down his bandana to speak clearly. “Hey, uhh, I’m lookin’ for Plumeria. Got some new recruits who wanna speak to her.”  
   
Plumeria looks up from her phone and sits up from the bed. “That’s me. What’s going on?”  
   
He gestures with his head and points behind him to the main foyer. “They in there.”  
   
The female grunts glance curiously at Plumeria as she gets up to leave the room before returning to their conversation. She walks down the hall, heading to the main foyer like the male grunt said, and stops immediately as she sees exactly _who_ is waiting for her. Two familiar figures, a scrawny boy and short girl, stand close together with the boy clinging tight to the girl as their attention turns to the sound of muffled footsteps. Plumeria stares at them wide-eyed, wondering how they even found this place. _Didn’t that grunt just call them new recruits?_  
   
“H-Hi, Plumy!”  
   
“Hey, Big Sis!”  
   
Plumeria marches towards them, her shock turning quickly into frustration.

“Rotheca Serrata. Hibisca Rosa. What the hell are you two doing here?” she growls, standing tall before them with her hands on her hips. “Get your asses back home now! This isn’t a playground.” _God, please, don’t let these two be the recruits. This is a joke, right?_  
   
Roth whimpers and hides behind Hibisca, who matches Plumeria’s stance, glaring back with intense, purple eyes. “We’re here to help! You’re never home anymore so I followed you out once an’ saw you come here! Why ain’t you tell us that you were gettin’ your money from here?”  
   
“Because it’s none of your business, Hibbie! Now, take Roth and go. I don’t want to see the two of you here again.”  
   
“B-But, Plumy, we already talked to the boss. He let us in.”  
   
“A twelve-year-old boy and a fifteen-year-old girl got no business joinin’ a damn gang. It’s too dangerous here,” Plumeria snaps.  
   
“I-It’s too scary to go home. D-Dad’s gotten so bad s-since you left a-and Mama’s upset,” Roth mutters, hanging his head down. “Don’t make us leave, Plumy.”  
   
Closing her eyes, Plumeria takes a few deep breaths to curb her anger, already regretting snapping at them in the first place. When she thought about wanting to see them and hear from them again earlier, she didn’t mean this soon and in this situation. True, she could keep them safe since they’ll be in her sight, but to think that her boss let them become Team Skull grunts is another issue in of itself. She pushes that thought aside for the moment, focusing on her brother and sister once more.  
   
“Okay, look. Just stay with me and don’t get into any trouble. I’m guessin’ you guys can just clean around here or somethin’. I’m not expectin’ the boss to send you out on a job and if he does, then may Tapu Bulu have mercy on him.”  
   
Hibisca relaxes and lets her arms fall loosely to her sides, grinning in triumph up at her sister. “It don’t matter! We got Pokémon, so it ain’t like we’re defenseless!” Plumeria shakes her head as she walks around them, standing behind them and placing her hands on their shoulders.  
   
“We’re goin’ to my room now. Don’t try any stupid shit. And behave! Your big sister didn’t raise either of you to be rude.”  
   
“Yeah, yeah.”  
   
Just as Plumeria begins to lead her siblings away, the front doors of the mansion are kicked open, causing anyone in the immediate area to jump and tense up. Three grunts come stumbling in, one of them leaning on another for support as he limps into the building, while the other carries a fainted Zubat in his arms. Plumeria stares hard at them, especially at the injured boy whom she knows to only be a kid himself. He groans in pain, his ankle clearly marred with claw and teeth marks, before looking up and noticing the stares. With a pained grin, he shakily holds his free hand up and claims that he is fine and nothing could be better.  
   
This isn’t the first time a grunt has come in injured like this and Plumeria’s stomach turns in knots as she imagines Roth or Hibbie in that same exact position, maybe even worse off. Her grip tightens on their shoulders as she pushes them along hurriedly, forcing those thoughts away.  
   
_I think it’s time to pay the boss a visit. He’s not getting away with this._  
   
\------------  
   
As soon as Plumeria’s made sure her siblings are safe and comfortable in her shared room, away from any form of trouble, she marches out of the room, stomping up the stairs to the second floor, directly to the boss’s room. She doesn’t necessarily have everything she wants to say planned yet, but she’s ready to raise hell if she needs to. He may be large and intimidating if her memory serves her correctly, but nothing stops her when it comes to her siblings’ safety. Some grunts and their Pokémon, who are lounging around in the halls and on the floor, look at her curiously, wondering what another simple grunt might want from the boss.  
   
Plumeria lets herself in without so much as a knock, walking directly to the other end of the room, and stands before the boss, angrily putting her hands on her hips as she locks eyes with him. The grunts sitting around him stare up at her in surprise, looking nervous at her intrusion. 

“Ay, you. I need to talk to you right now.”  
   
Guzma looks up and narrows his eyes at Plumeria, seemingly annoyed with being interrupted while telling his circle grunts a story. Regardless, he remains relaxed on his throne, his torso hunched over and his long legs spread out before him. “Yeah? Who’re you?” His voice comes out deep and gruff, only adding to his intimidating demeanor.  
   
Plumeria shakes her head. “That doesn’t matter right now. What I want to know is what the hell was going on in your mind when you brought in two young kids into this gang just now. One of them is twelve years old, dude.” She doesn’t notice at all when one of the grunts get up from the circle and scurries past her, whimpering about something “bad” that’s going to happen. Her brows furrow as she focuses on the large man reclining casually in his chair. “I really hope you weren’t plannin’ on sendin’ them off to do any dangerous-ass jobs any time soon. Especially not after one of your other boys just came back with a fucked up ankle.”  
   
“Yeah? An’ what if I was gonna?” Guzma grins, looking amused more than anything.  
   
“Then you’re gonna deal with me. You will not send them out for any reason, got it?” Plumeria warns, her voice almost low enough to be a growl. “Just give whatever job it is to me and leave them alone.”  
   
One she’s finished speaking, Guzma grips the slightly battered arms of his chair and slowly rises to his feet, not shy about having all seven feet of his broad height loom over her. Plumeria watches him carefully as he stuffs his hands in his pockets, hunched over in her face with that smug grin still plastered onto his face. At this point, the rest of the grunts, who stuck around for this spectacle, bolt for the door in fear with a few offering a wide-eyed glance back at Plumeria.  
   
“An’ just who d’you think you are, orderin’ me around like that? Don’t you know who I am? I’m big, bad Guzma, and what I say goes. You got that, _baby?_ ”  
   
He’s much too close to her for her liking and Plumeria wants to fix that immediately. She takes her hand and plants it firmly on his cheek, pushing his large face away from her to create a more respectable distance between the two of them. “Anyway, you’re not doin’ a damn thing with them. Not without my say so, okay, _baby?_ ”  
   
Guzma’s flinch is brief and slight; confusion and shock swirl as his face is pushed back and his body twitches reactively. Everything condenses into anger then, as he staggers back and his fingers curl into fists. 

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me,” he yells; this is no longer fun. “You do what I say, you understand?”

Recoiling slightly, Plumeria stumbles a few steps back away from Guzma as he yells at her. She’s momentarily frozen, only having heard about his temper or hearing the actual tantrums from a safe distance and never being the one to cause it to really see what it’s like. Regardless, she grounds herself, knowing this conversation is to help her siblings, not herself, and that’s what keeps her from walking away. “Don’t get in my goddamn face next time. I don’t care who you are; you don’t do that shit! Why can’t you just sit there and listen without runnin’ that mouth of yours?”

Guzma’s short patience fizzles out. He stomps backwards, yanking an Ultra Ball out of his pocket. “I’ll show ya not to run your mouth. Goliath, teach her a lesson,” he bellows, tossing the ball into the air; with a crash that rattles the door in its frame, the giant Golisopod lands before Guzma, his six arms spread to assess the danger. His purple antennae swirl and point forth to investigate the woman riling Guzma up.

Plumeria jumps back, keeping herself away from danger, and she freezes as it looms over her as well. She’s never seen anything like that before and she can’t even bring herself to pull out her Salandit. Maybe it’s best to forfeit before everything goes to shit, but she hates appearing weak before others. “I ask for one simple thing an’ you lug out your Pokémon against me. Bastard.”

Goliath’s antennae twitch in surprise as the woman glares at him, a surprising reaction given his normal reception. Uncertain, he turns and toddles back toward Guzma, all six arms reaching for him. “Gol- Wha- Goliath! Attack her!” Guzma yowls, backing away from his own Pokémon. “Come on!"

Her fearful determination rapidly turns into confusion and Plumeria is left standing there silently, unsure of what is actually happening; she just watched his Pokémon turn around and walk back towards him. _What?_ “Umm, so are you gonna take this seriously, or…?” Relaxing slightly, she lets her hands fall to her sides instead of hovering over her own Poké Ball. 

Something is telling her to reach for her phone.

With Goliath in the way, Guzma sidesteps around him to keep Plumeria in his view, but Goliath keeps swerving to approach him. “Goliath, come on!” he yells, dodging a many-armed embrace. “Knock it off, I said! Go attack her- kick her out or something!” He squares his feet, frozen in place momentarily. His hands fly up to claw at his hair, pulling it harshly. “Stupid Guzma! What is wrong with you? You know Goly doesn’t go after grunts. God!” He collapses on his throne, hitting his forehead with his palms. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

The sight before her looks almost too good to be true and she smiles at how cute the massive Bug Pokémon is acting towards his owner as he reaches for him. Her smile dies down, however, as she watches him loudly berate himself and she fights the small urge to rush over and help him. That’s when an unfamiliar name hits her ears like a blaring siren. “Goly? I-Is…I thought you named him Goliath? Oh my god, this is adorable.”

“His name is Goliath! Bwugh!” Guzma shouts as Goliath lifts him bodily out of his throne and holds him gently, a steady croon rumbling out of the giant bug. “Goly, put me down!” he yowls, kicking his long legs futilely, his face all pink. “Oh, this is a fuckin’ mess.”

It’s at this moment that Plumeria throws all her inhibitions away and yanks her phone out of her pocket, knowing that this needs to be documented. Her face is adorned with a toothy grin as she swipes through the lock screen and clicks on the camera app. “Oh, what ever happened to big, bad Guzma, huh? You lookin’ awful precious there, bug boy,” Plumeria teases, snapping a few quality photos of the occasion.

“Eat my ass,” Guzma growls, his feet going limp as he sighs. He wraps his arms around Goliath so his back isn’t taking all of his weight, and scrunches up his nose as Goliath inspects his face with his antennae and wiggly mouthparts. “Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Fucker. Put me down, I’m fine.” Goliath lowers him to his feet, and Guzma pushes himself away (but not before giving his Pokémon a quick kiss on the head). 

When he turns around to face Plumeria once more, his eyes go wide. “Is that a phone? Are you taking p- oh, fuck you!”

“I can’t wait for all of the grunts to see this. Heh, I’ve heard you were a dick, but who knew that you had a soft side as well. At least you’re good to your Pokémon,” Plumeria giggles, her voice muffled as her hand covers her mouth. She’s not exactly sure how many pictures she took, but she knows that it’s enough to have at least a few good ones in there.

Guzma strides up to her with his hand outstretched. “Gimme that fuckin’ phone. Don’t you dare post those.”

“Oh, hell no. This is gold! Just the insurance I need in case you wanna start more shit with me,” Plumeria says casually, keeping her phone out of his reach by stuffing it into her back pocket. “Well…there is one way that would guarantee that these pics never see the light of day. It just depends on how you wanna act.” She crosses her arms and offers him a sly smirk.

Guzma freezes mid-stride, narrowing his eyes. “What’s your name again?” he demands angrily. “I need to know to put ya in my Death Note.”

“I should fuckin’ post them now just because you said such dumb shit,” Plumeria replies, letting out a few hearty laughs. “Listen, the name’s Plumeria. All I wanted was to make sure you don’t pull nothin’ stupid with my brother and sister, but now, why don’t you give that power to me. I organize an’ send out the grunts depending on their abilities while you get to sit back and not have to worry about these pictures ever getting out. And when there’s really big, important stuff, I’ll just come to you with that, okay?” She never thought she’d get this far in the conversation, nor did she even plan on it, but it makes her feel really good to have some sort of control on the otherwise chaotic group and their unpredictable boss.  
   
Besides, if he agrees, then she can also make sure no one comes back a bloody mess.

“What is this, are you deposin’ me as boss?” Guzma’s face burns with heat from embarrassment and anger. He inches forward, glaring at her furiously. “Blackmail is weak as shit, you fuckin’ pink Exeggutor. You got a lot o’ nerve, orderin’ big bad Guzma around.”

Plumeria shrugs, taking out her phone once more to view her camera roll. She shifts her weight onto one leg, sticking her hip out to show him how at ease she is and that his size and yelling isn’t doing much to intimidate her; she’s dealt with a much louder and worse man before. She pulls up her current favorite picture and shows it to him, making sure to keep it out of his reach. “You’re not lookin’ so big and bad kissin’ your little bug friend here. I’m sure the other 50 members would agree with me on that. How can you keep goin’ around, doin’ your thing, if no one will take Team Skull seriously anymore?”

“Fuck you, lady, honestly. Yeah, yeah, I look goddamn cute, don’t I? So, what, as long as I let you lord it over me you won’t post those nowhere? I ain’t makin’ you the boss,” he growls firmly. “I didn’t scrape this gang out o’ the pits of Alola for you to waltz in and take it for being in the wrong place at the right time.”

“I’m not sayin’ I want to be the boss, but I want some more decision-making power than the grunts have. I want to be the one who sends them off because I know I can get it done right and make sure everyone is safe. So, I dunno, I’ll be like an Admin or somethin’. You can keep your throne and title for all I care,” Plumeria states, returning to her more serious demeanor. She puts the phone away, crossing her arms once more as she stares him down. “Nothing else will change.”

“A second-in-command.” Guzma crosses his arms as well, tilting his head back to stare down at her from his full height. Goliath chitters lowly, shifting behind him as Guzma considers her demands. “You consult me on everything you do,” he states finally. “I get final word on everything, or else what’m I here for besides lookin’ pretty? You start doin’ shit I don’t like, you and your little brat siblings are out, you get me? I’m gonna be watchin’ you.”

“Aight. That’s fair enough for me.” Plumeria shrugs, enjoying her win internally while her face remains expressionless. As someone who’s honest and true to her word, she’d never post those pictures like she said, but she has no intention of deleting them just yet. “Don’t be watchin’ me too hard, though. I saw how you were lookin’ at me before you flipped out. Anyway, don’t be turnin’ your back on this because you know what’s at stake. Now I’m off to get shit done. I’ll keep in touch, m’kay?”

“You were hot until I realized you’re a bitch,” Guzma sniffs. “At least gimme your damn number, Team Skull Admin. We gotta be coordinatin’.”

“Hey, bad bitches can be hot too. Don’t discriminate. Gimme your phone and I’ll put my number in,” Plumeria commands, holding her hand out.

“Gimme yours,” Guzma presses harder.

“No. I want your phone.” Plumeria can see clearly through his ruse and remains adamant about getting him to relent. Guzma grumbles as he tugs his phone out of his baggy pocket and shoves it toward her.

Plumeria gladly takes it from him, stopping herself from smiling as his home screen is a selfie of him with Goliath. She quickly inputs her number, calling herself “Your Best Friend” in his phone before returning it to him without wasting anymore time. “Well, unless you got anythin’ else to say, I’m done here.”

Guzma snatches his phone out of her hand. “Get outta here, then. And make sure my name in your phone is ‘big bad Guzma’ or I’ll kick your ass.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. See ya later, bug boy.” Plumeria turns and heads for the door, putting her hand up to wave with a big grin on her face.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, it's been a very long time since I've written and posted anything, but here you go! My very first Pokémon fic.
> 
> My wonderful gf, Saphruikan, and I have joined forces to start writing bits and pieces from our Pokémon AU, Innocence. It's all about Guzma and Plumeria and their life together from acquaintances to a happy couple! It'll be presented in a series of oneshots from different points of the story. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you'll enjoy what we have to offer!


End file.
